RFP Response Roundtable Procurement Experts Divulge Best Practice Tips

RFP RESPONSE ROUNDTABLE: PROCUREMENT EXPERTS DIVULGE BEST PRACTICE TIPS Have you landed the world’s largest customer? The U.S. government is the largest single purchaser of goods and services in the world, awarding approximately $500 billion in contracts every year. And the government isn’t only interested in contracting with big corporations. Most government agencies set aside a percentage of their acquisitions for small businesses, sometimes focusing on specific designations like: women-owned small businesses (WOSB), service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses (SDVOSB), and small businesses that are located in historically underutilized business zones (HUBZone). In fact, 23 percent of all prime government contract dollars (totaling over $90 billion annually) are directed to small businesses. But you have to jump through lots of hoops to get a share of those billions. The government contracting process is notoriously rife with legalese and red tape. Reading a complex RFP is challenging enough, but composing an articulate response that addresses all points can seem mindboggling indeed. So, we’ve rounded up a panel of experts to help cut through the jargon (also see the glossary at the bottom of this post). We interviewed experienced procurement professionals to determine the ins and outs of writing a show-stopping RFP response. They shared opinions on how to get your RFP response noticed as well as practices guaranteed to land your proposal straight in the trash bin. Meet the Experts Kyla Moore is a contracts specialist for the State of Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. Brett Cook is a contract specialist for the Department of Veterans Affairs. Kelly Porter is Senior Multimodal Planner at Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization. Lourdes Coss is a procurement professional with over 25 years of experience, and the author of Procurement Methods: Effective Techniques. Beth Morley taught courses in Business Communication and Advanced Business Communication at the University of Texas at Dallas, within the Naveen Jindal School of Management. Carol Wilson is Director of Procurement for the State of Connecticut Department of Administrative Services. Q: What are things you like to see in a proposal? Kyla: Well designed, professional proposals tend to visually stand out. However, that doesn’t always mean they contain the best content or are best suited to provide the services requested in the RFP. In the end, the proposal that best meets the requirements and is most advantageous to the State will be declared successful. Kelly: All tasks were addressed in the proposal response and a unique approach is clearly articulated. Clear budget with staff time allocations, project timeline, and an executive summary. Brett: An RFP response that stands out from the crowd is one that first and foremost has followed the â€Å"Instructions to Offerors† carefully. Many companies gloss over the instructions on what exactly they need to include in their response. Also a response that looks professional, organized, and one that is easy to navigate (table of contents, clear section headings, etc.). I personally like to see a company’s price quote separate from the technical proposal when submitting responses electronically. Beth: When responding to RFPs in general, make sure you do basic things like spell the company name right and take the time to explain to them that you understand their problem. Make sure it’s personalized and customized to their particular problem. Show expertise in their industry and that you’re not just providing generic solutions to the problem. Carol: Some companies have it together and present their information in a really organized format. You can tell they read the RFP, understood it, and are responsive. They took their time in reading it and knowing what they need to provide. Q: What are things that land a proposal in the reject pile? Kyla: Late proposals are the biggest cause for rejection in our agency. Additionally, incomplete proposals may be deemed non-responsive. Kelly: When a proposal is non-responsive or does not include required documentation. We follow our proposal format guidelines closely. Brett: Mistakes, such as not addressing all of the evaluation factors, not signing and acknowledging all amendments to the solicitation, and submitting responses after the specified due date and time, all send the proposal to the reject pile. Lourdes: Disorganized proposals because that forces the committee to spend a lot of time figuring it out so they could be a little frustrated. Canned proposals that are so general you can tell that no thought was put into it. Sometimes people use a previously submitted proposal and forget to change the name of the agency – this shows a lack of attention to detail. Incomplete proposals where they don’t submit all of the required forms. Q: What are the biggest mistakes you’ve seen companies make? Beth: You have to follow directions because [government agencies] will disqualify you for any little thing you miss. Whatever their requirements, make sure you’ve ticked off each thing and follow their specific format. Don’t get overly verbal. Look at the way you’re formatting your proposal so you don’t give them a novella. Carol: If the RFP includes a sample contract, read that, too, to make sure you can agree to the terms and conditions. Some companies just look at the price schedule and skim over the terms and conditions, which can lead to problems. This is usually due to a lack of reading. Lourdes: Sometimes [companies] are worried about meeting the criteria on financial capacity or don’t have all their financial information in order, so they don’t submit the required financial information. Here’s a suggestion: [Rather than leaving the information out altogether], say, â€Å"We’re privately held,† offer a ratio for your total assets, and add, â€Å"If you need more information, you’re welcome to coordinate a meeting with us, and we’ll show you our space.† Q: What are contractors most confused about in the RFP process? Kyla: The question I tend to see most often is from independent consultants asking how to represent their team structure and/or internal controls. This part of our proposal asks the vendor to provide a description of the proposed project team structure and internal controls to be used during the course of the project. Many independent consultants are confused by this part because they are the sole person providing the task. We suggest that they simply identify themselves as a sole proprietor that will provide all services listed in the procurement, if that is the case. Brett: Many companies want to meet with contracting officers or end users at the hospital regarding specific upcoming requirements. We cannot discuss specifics before a solicitation is posted publicly on either FBO or GSA. This keeps certain companies from having an unfair advantage when responding to solicitations. The best thing a company can do is to view solicitation postings daily on GSA or FBO to see if there are requirements they are capable of responding to. Also, many small businesses do not know the best way to get their foot in the door with the government. The best first steps small businesses can take is to visit the Small Business Administration’s website, SBA.gov, or contact their local government agency’s contracting office to see if they can speak to their Small Business Liaison. Lourdes: [Companies] have trouble interpreting terminology. These forms are often drafted with legalese, not business language. As procurement officials, we advocate for simpler language but sometimes it has to be written a certain way. Procurement officials have trouble with forms that are filled out incorrectly or incompletely. Carol: Government doesnt make it easy. I was in private procurement for 15 years before I came here. The processes are the same but it’s different in government because of all the laws the attorneys implement in the contract. In Connecticut, our basic contract is over 30 pages long. It intimidates small businesses to look at that without hiring a lawyer. In each state there’s a PTAC, a Procurement Technical Assistance Center, funded by the state and federal government. While I cant help a vendor respond to an RFP, these centers can help them write and respond better. Q: What should companies do when an RFI is issued? Lourdes: This is your opportunity to offer strategies without revealing corporate secrets. The agency probably hasn’t even formulated the problem. You can present examples of technology that you’ve implemented somewhere else, and this helps the agency in their thought process as they’re developing the RFP requirements. This allows you to position yourself to make your technology and your products more desirable. You put yourself in a better position if you take advantage of this preview opportunity and respond to the RFI. Carol: For an RFI, [government agencies] just want information. [RFIs] dont end up as an award, so just share what you have, so we can learn from you and your product or service. This enables us to be better educated. Q: Tips for Women- or Minority-Owned or Economically Disadvantaged Small Businesses? Lourdes: The set asides for these are usually smaller projects, routine tasks that are not high profile. But it could be a multi-year contract. Sometimes these groups go beyond the scope of the RFP and end up being too [costly], making them less competitive. Instead of pricing a Cadillac, price within the scope. Ask questions to clarify the scope. Then if you have â€Å"value added,† you can price that separately. Carol: In Connecticut, we set aside 25% for small and minority businesses. Each state has a different spin on it. The federal government and state government have different requirements so there’s a lot to sort through if you’re a small local business. We try to help with educating them on requirements and on how to do business with the state. I would advise them to be as complete as possible and dont hesitate to call with questions. But call before the due date! Start working on your proposal as soon as possible. RFP Dos and Donts RFP Response Best Practice Provide clean and crisp writing, free of grammatical errors. Maintain a professional tone and incorporate industry jargon. Use substantive language without filler. Format the document according to RFP specifications. Fully understand the solicitation and address all points. RFP Response Red Flags Offering gifts, loans, or gratuities to government employees. Submitting a late proposal. Providing vague statements instead of specific details. Using fluffy language instead of professional wording. Overinflating your price. Including technical or grammatical errors. If you aren’t selected for a contract, consider asking for a debriefing to learn what may have influenced that decision and what you can improve on future proposals. GLOSSARY Proposal Jargon RFP: â€Å"Request for Proposal† – A formal invitation for contractors to submit a proposal to provide certain goods or services. RFI: â€Å"Request for Information† – Issued in advance of an RFP, an RFI is used to gather information about what contractors have the potential to offer. IFB: A formal request for contractors to submit a bid. The IFB selection is made strictly on price, whereas the RFP selection process considers other factors. RFQ: Similar to an IFB, the RFQ invites contractors to bid on a project. Selection is based on price without considering the more extensive factors involved in an RFP. Small Business Special Classifications Some of these classifications receive nearly 10% of federal contracts, making it well worth the effort to achieve certification. HUBZone: These businesses are located in Historically Underutilized Business (HUB) Zones. WOSB: Women-Owned Small Businesses. EDWOSB: Economically Disadvantaged Women-Owned Small Businesses. SDVOSBC: Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Concern Procurement Program. SDB: Small Disadvantaged Business. Procurement Vocabulary Offer: A reply to an agency’s solicitation. Acceptance: An action that forms a legally binding agreement. Consideration: The cause for entering into a contract. Mutuality of Obligation: Agreement that both parties are bound to the contract. Major Roles in Government Contracting Contract Manager: Drafts documents, communicates with the contractor, monitors progress and performance, and approves the final product. Contract Administrator: Handles contract changes, dispute resolution, payment approval, and contract closeout. Purchaser: The authorized purchasing agent who legally binds the agency and enforces laws, policies, and procedures.

Discovering the Major Sources For Art History Research Paper Topics

Discovering the Major Sources For Art History Research Paper TopicsArt history is the study of art in its various periods and focuses mainly on analyzing the impact of the arts on the social and political context of their era. Art history research also helps to determine the place of art within various religious, cultural and aesthetic traditions, while providing insight into the meaning of the artistic experience.Study of paintings and sculpture from a particular era can help to recognize individual characteristics that may help to recognize that particular era in a wider context. Art historians analyze the styles, genres, and subjects, based on their merits and demerits, rather than abstracting from the cultural significance of the period. Art history research also determines how the artists sought to meet the needs of a specific age and to justify their work against the modern conditions of their time.Art history research can be divided into two broad periods: the beginnings of th e field itself and the period in which painting and sculpture were developed. The first period is often called pre-20th century, during which the field was more or less new and the roots of art are usually obscured. This period is the first to be studied within the wider field of art history.The second period consists of the beginning of the movement towards modernity and the development of modern art. This includes experimentation with new mediums and new methods of expression. It also involves the emergence of new artistic forms such as photography and film, both of which began with technological innovations. Both these periods are important to examine as they helped to shape the standards of art within the broader society.The most common period to study works of art is that from Renaissance to modernism. The Renaissance was a time of technological advancement and artistic rebellion against the rigid conventions of the Middle Ages. Renaissance artists used natural elements as well as technical devices to construct their work.Modernism started when public demand and the aesthetic taste of the artists, particularly Impressionists, provided a basis for ideas of conformity to be replaced by ideas of individualism and diversity. This period formed the nucleus of modern art critics in the late 19th century were more interested in the technique than the artist. Modernism influences can be seen in art not only through its aesthetic values but also through its focus on the formal parameters of art.Artists, photographers and writers are the main sources of art history research papers. There are an estimated two million art scholars today. Studies include ideas on the evolution of art in different historical periods. This includes an analysis of the techniques used, the interaction between artists and readers, how the audience responded to the art and what influence other factors had on the development of art.A second step after studying the history of art is to trace the influence of other cultural factors on the development of art. Some of the major influences are textiles, anthropology, ethnology, linguistics, religion, medicine, architecture, and psychology. In other words, any study of art requires more than a good knowledge of art history but also of other cultural aspects, including the nuances of living in a certain place.

I Need Help Writing My College Admissions Essay

I Need Help Writing My College Admissions EssayI need help writing my college admissions essay, but I don't know how to go about it. My last essay was done in high school and college admission is more difficult than high school. You might be a little bit skeptical about being asked to write a personal essay for college.That's exactly the same situation you were in, when you were in high school. To help with college admission essays, you will need to gain a good understanding of what a college admissions essay should be. The structure of a college essay is very important.An essay is not just a list of facts. College admissions essays can become very long and boring if they are written badly. Colleges will want to see a well-written essay with a solid structure. You can gain a good knowledge of the most common essay topics by reading college admissions books.For my college admissions essays I plan to use the first and last paragraph of each chapter as my introduction. This will give a great idea of the tone of the essay. I like to include an information box at the bottom of the page that talks about my unique experiences and hobbies. After this I will provide a list of questions in an answer box.After you have answered the questions, you will begin your chapters with a list of main points that should sum up the information presented in the chapter. Your first chapter will contain a preamble and a conclusion. Make sure to follow the format of the text book.In college admissions essays you will need to be concise. Use plain language and write in a logical order. Don't add unnecessary details. You don't want to become too complicated and bore your reader.If you don't feel comfortable using the format of a college admissions essay, you can always ask a professional to write one for you. Professional writers are extremely knowledgeable and they are confident that they can write your college admissions essay well. You can feel confident that your college admission essa y will turn out well when you find a writer who is good at what they do.

Groups essays

Groups essays Vad r en grupp? Tv olika uppfattningar i denna frga har uppsttt, Den individualistiska synen som har sin utgngspunkt i individen och individuella utvecklingar fr att frklara ett beteende och den grupporienterade synen, som ser individen som en del av ett strre system. Det kan vara en grupp, en organisation eller ett samhlle. Det finns mnga definitioner p vad en grupp r, men frenklat kan man sga att det r en samling individer som umgs och har relationer med varandra, oftast fr att n ett ml eller att utfra en uppgift. Det finns ven mnga indelningar p hur en grupp r uppbyggd, vilket jag tycker att jag har mrkt under min tid i det militra. Nedan fljer ngra exempel p indelningar: En indelning bygger p frestllningen att varje samhlle och organisation r sammansatt av grupper som uppkommer spontant i ett samhlle, som familjer, slkter, kamrat- och umgngesgrupper Dessa kallades fr primrgrupper. Ãâ€"vriga gruppbildningar kom ur denna synpunkt att betraktas som sekundra fenomen och kallades drfr sekundrgrupper. . Jag har tex. ftt en stor kamratgrupp frn de ursprungliga arbetsgrupperna p SSS. Vissa grupper har man som referensgrupper. En referensgrupp fungerar som en mttstock i vrderingen av egen och andras status. Den positiva referensgruppen representerar mycket av det efterstrvansvrda i livet. Man kan ven skilja mellan Dom-grupp och Vi-grupp, dr vi-gruppen r en grupp som man knner sig tillhra och som man kan identifiera sig med och dom-gruppen en grupp som man knner sig frmmande infr och medlemmarna kanske uppfattas som avvikande. En annan grupp som frmst r uppbyggd fr att ta tillvara organisationers intressen r en formell grupp, de har e...

Semiotics in the Analysis of Popular Music Texts Essay

Semiotics in the Analysis of Popular Music Texts - Essay Example Musicology as a field of study has been in a state of flux since the rise of popular music at the beginning of the 20th century. Classical musicology has been dominated by just that: the study of classical music. The reasons given for this range from its reliance on formal structure and harmony (Carter, The Role of the Music Practitioner in the Examination of Contemporary Electronic and Experimental Music, ) to the fact that popular music is more immediate and emotionally involved in the lives of its listeners, to the reasons concerning class and value (Middleton 1990). In actuality, all three of these reasons form a coherent whole to explain the insistence upon formal musicology's need to exclude popular music. Yet here in the 21st century a new methodology for analysing music is firmly in place, one that undoes to a great extent the importance of those analytical foundations upon which classical musicology has been based. Just as the focus of critical theories surrounding literatur e underwent a tremendous change in the previous century, moving away from a more traditional, structuralist, author-centered approach, so has musical analysis followed suit. What it still unsure, however, is whether the move away from traditional musicology has been made because it is completely deficient for the purpose, or whether the semiotic approach has taken root because it represents a more accurate reflection of music's meaning. Musicology is, of course, simply the study of music and all that music entails (Middleton, Studying Popular Music, p. 103) and semiotics is the study of signs and meanings and how they are understood. Semiotics, therefore, is really less a study of the music itself than a study of how that music is interpreted by the listener. In this way, semiotics provides an answer for the question of why traditional musicology has failed in its attempt to embrace and understand popular music because it is less concerned with formality and tradition and open to mo re experimentation and interpretation based on extraneous components such as costume, gesture and performance, as well as because popular music by definition appeals to a wider audience and so is therefore a richer resource for understanding contemporary cultures and subcultures. The deficiencies of classical musicology as regard its ability to fully analyse and explain popular musical texts is a topic that has received great attention by such writers as Richard Middleton and Philip Tagg, among others, and the general consensus by most critics is that classical musicology suffers from an overreliance on notational content as well as on language and a discursive technique that is ideologically unsound. The basic terminology of musicology has remain unchanged for centuries and suffers from an elitism that bases the study of music upon a certain academic playing field that remains closed to new players. Middleton asserts that because of this longstanding reliance on certain academic terms, traditional musicology comes equipped with a rich vocabulary with which to analyse certain elements of classical music: harmony, chord types and functions, tonality, counterpoint, etc, but on the other hand, the vocabulary is impoverished in other areas such as rhythm, pitch nuance and timbre ( Studying Popular Music, p. 104). Since, as an overview of semiotics will shortly show, a combination of a signifier and a signified create signs that are all we have to communicate concrete ideas, the ability to choose from among a large amount of signs-in this case musical terms-to describe something is essential to full communication. If only certain words are capable of adequately describing music as a text then those words, like any other descriptors, will eventually become restricted to only a select few. Today we recognize these restricted words as jargon and feel discomfort when two people are using jargon we don't understand. The use of jargon or elitist terminology serves as a distancing

Research Paper Topics on Frankenstein - Will You Become the Monster Who You Were Defined To Be?

Research Paper Topics on Frankenstein - Will You Become the Monster Who You Were Defined To Be?The good news is that you can turn your Frankenstein monster into a Frankenstein child by learning the research paper topics on Frankenstein. One of the best choices for your Frankenstein research paper topics would be the story of 'Frankenstein' and the monster that made him who he was, which is quite an interesting story. If you do not know it already, this particular monster is a type of creature known as a Chimera.The creature was created by a scientist who was trying to create something more intelligent. However, he got stuck in a quandary because if he did succeed, it would have been created from two different creatures. On the other hand, if he failed, he would be stuck with the monster that was the result of his experiments.What do the research paper topics on Frankenstein have to do with your Frankenstein research paper topics? In many ways, it can only mean one thing, and that is that you are a monster yourself, and you want to make a monster as a monster. You want to be more than what you are right now, you want to be more than the monster you are. You need to be more than what you are because you are terrified of what you really are.Because of this, you seek to become the real monster. That means, you must be an ugly creature. You must be feared. You must act differently than you are.Many of the research paper topics on Frankenstein has to do with the weirdness of the creature. One of the reasons why you are so afraid of yourself is because you are scared of what you are, but you are afraid of what you will become. You fear being known as the monster, but in reality, it is simply being the monster you were destined to be.In the future, you will know that you have been nothing more than what you are now, and you have turned your life around. As you are getting older, you will not be afraid of becoming a monster, and you will realize that you were destined t o be a monster from the start.You need to know that you are a monster because you are. You need to know that you are a monster because you have been. When you find this out, you will no longer be afraid of being who you are, you will be a monster because you have been a monster.

Contract in business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Contract in business - Essay Example In the first place, it would be noted that a contract does not necessarily have to be a written document. It is against this backdrop that the society goes on further to mention examples of contract to include â€Å"purchase any goods, buy a house, engage a builder to carry out work on your house, borrow money, order goods or machinery from a manufacturer, or sign up for a telephone plan.† Indeed, in most of these cases, there is no signing of a written document but there still exists a contract. To Simon therefore, he could still have had a contract without having a written documentation. The second and most important aspect also has to do with the fact that a contract but be legally binding between two people. What this means is that all two people or two parties involved must have the word of the other that they are going to deliver their sides of the agreement without fail. However, in the case of Simon, when he sent the order for the purchase, he received no confirmation from Huddersford confirming that Huddersford had put himself in the deal and so would have to fulfil his part of the agreement. In simple terms, there was no binding contract between the two parties. Building on from the last point on the need for a contract to be a legal agreement between two or more parties, it would indeed have been a lot of difference if John had sent the letter of acceptance. If for nothing at all, the letter of acceptance would have constituted the Johns part of the agreement on behave of the bookshop and this would have given Simon much ground to argue for a breach of contract. Having said this, it is important to emphasise that Simon’s only quest for a bidding contract has to do with the single purchase of the â€Å"Fly fishing in the Wye† by J.R. Marple and not the bookshop’s failure to deliver a book to him. If as part of the mailing list that Simon received there was any assurance that any one who placed an